1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dollies which enable a bucket to be rolled from one location to another and which enable a user to close the bucket when it is not in use. In particular, the field of the present invention relates to buckets which are used in construction projects such as tiling, painting, drywall taping, or in gardening.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, dollies that facilitate rolling transport of a bucket are known in the prior art. The following nine (9) patents are relevant to the field of the present invention.
1. U.S. Pat. No. 926,288 issued to Rice on Jun. 29, 1909 for “Barrel Truck” (hereafter the “Rice patent”);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,864 issued to Burgoon on Feb. 27, 1968 for “Adjustable Quick-Acting Clamp” (hereafter the “Burgoon patent”);
3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,667 issued to Stolzman on Jun. 23, 1992 for “Material Handling Rings” (hereafter the “Stolzman patent”);
4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,220 issued to Stephan on Dec. 5, 1995 for “Bucket Dolly” (hereafter the “Stephan patent”);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,351 issued to Logsdon on Jul. 2, 1996 for “Multi-Function Drum Cap” (hereafter the “Logsdon patent”);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,888 issued to Burgan on Jun. 2, 1998 for “Refuse Container And Dolly Having Foot Activated Release Mechanism” (hereafter the “Burgan patent”);
7. U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,867 issued to Hampton on Sep. 15, 1998 for “Bucket Trolley With Detachable Extension Handle” (hereafter the “Hampton patent”);
8. U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,891 B1 issued to Herrmann on Apr. 3, 2001 for “Workseat Cart” (hereafter the “Herrmann patent”);
9. United States Published Patent, Publication No. US 2004/0145139 A1 issued to Kershaw on Jul. 29, 2004 for “Caster Supported Mobile Tray” (hereafter the “Kershaw patent Publication”).
The Rice patent is a barrel truck and discloses the concept of having a device which fits onto the bottom of the barrel so that the barrel can be rolled. The body B of the barrel truck comprises wheel C and short hooks D. The wheels are arranged under the body B as illustrated in FIG. 1. This patent discloses the concept of having a generally barrel shaped object with a bottom member with a mating rolling member into which the barrel can be inserted so that it can be rolled or tipped. In this case, it is not a press fit but the hooks D have barbs d which can be embedded into the barrel. This makes sense for a wooden type barrel but would not be applicable to buckets made of plastic or synthetic materials.
The Burgoon patent deals with a rolling member that can be placed onto a vacuum cleaner canister and is retained thereon by a clamp member which is a novel feature of that invention. Specifically, the dolly 16 includes a mounting band 18 on which are rotatably mounted several casters 20 having pivot shafts 22 rotatably carried by suitable straps 24. The straps 24 also have flanges which extend inwardly under the lower end of the band 18 and engage the bottom of the tank 12 to prevent it from slipping through the band 18. This is once again an attachment to the bottom of the vacuum cleaner tank and is not a press fit attachment.
The Stolzman patent deals with a ring that is designed to be attached to the bottom of a drum so that the drum can be rolled. The ring which is best illustrated in FIG. 1 as item no. 10 is press fit around the bottom of the drum and retains thereon a multiplicity of casters on which the drum can be rolled. Once again, this is a specialized ring adapted to fit on the bottom portion of the drum.
The Stephan patent discloses the general concept of an item for rotating a bucket so that it does not have to be lifted. It has a dolly with an upwardly extending edge about 3 to 5 inches high, that generally conforms to the size of a standard five gallon bucket. The purpose of the invention is to be able to push around whatever materials one is working with, without having to pick the bucket up and move it. However, it does not necessarily show that there is a press fit so that the entire bucket can in fact be picked up with the wheels attached thereon. The bucket dolly 1 further includes a base 7 with a platform portion 8 to hold the bottom edge 6 of bucket 5, and a plurality of wheeled portions 9 to enable a worker to move around whatever materials a worker is working with, without having to manually pick up the bucket 5 in order to move the bucket.
The Logsdon patent does embody the concept of having a wheel member placed on top of the drum but it is for a different purpose. It includes a cap for commercially available 15, 30 or 55 gallon drums. The drum cap has various applications. First, referring to FIG. 1, the drum cap can be used as a protective cap 10 for the drum 12 having four legs 14 equidistantly spaced apart from each at the periphery of the drum cap. Each leg has a caster or wheel 16 on the top end which is removable. The legs 14 have convenient handhold apertures. The drum cap 10 has a friction fit with drum 12. The domed wall 18 has a central aperture or drain hole 32 from which extends a horizontal duct 34 leading to a vertical duct 36 having a metal or plastic ball valve 36 (see FIG. 2). In an alternative embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the wheels are placed upside down on top of the drum cap so that the cap can serve as a drain for oil. The multifunction drum cap is utilized to serve as a cap to protect the drum top from the elements, an oil drain pan for vehicles when turned upside down and the drum funnel when turned upside down with or with the drum attached. What this doesn't show, however, is the concept of using the cap as a wheel on the bottom of the drum to be able to rotate the drum.
The Burgan patent discloses a refuse container which contains a dolly 14 having wheels. However, the innovative feature of this device is that there is a foot pedal on the dolly with mechanisms that enable the foot pedal when integrated with a pivotal action to raise the lid on the refuse container.
The Hampton patent is basically a bucket trolley and the innovative feature of this patent is that it has a detachable extension handle. The wheel trolley has a resilient engaging wall for retaining a standard sized bucket containing a load. The trolley includes a set of wheels and also a handle which can be threadedly attached to the dolly to have it moved.
The Herrmann patent is a workseat cart assembly for adapting a bucket-type container to be used as a seat with an accompanying equipment tray for a workman. The assembly includes a unitary body member having a receptacle for a bucket and a partitioned equipment retainer tray surrounding the bucket.
The Kershaw Published patent Application discloses a mobile tray. Referring to Section 15 it states “The recessed level of the wheeled carrier indicated by the diameter D also provides an accessible area to accommodate various sized containers, notably, pails, cans or buckets up to 5 gallon size that are retained by a shallow wall 7 which wall can be cleared by a limited lifting of the container.
There is a significant need for an improved attachment device which facilitates rolling transport of a bucket and also enables the bucket to be lifted with the wheels in place, facilitates closure of the bucket when not in use, and facilitates substance removable apparatus to be attached adjacent to the bucket.